MOR-01. Warrior Of Mist, page 15
part #1 of Mists Of Redemption Series
[Gained Ability: Feather Step.]
Shocked, I opened my menu and looked it up.
[Feather Step: The ability to make your body light as air. MP Cost: 5 MP + 1 MP for every consecutive minute.]
“Cool,” I whispered.
Just then, something moved to my right.
I glanced over. Through the thick fog, a pale gray shape crawled around a dark tree trunk.
Is that what I think it is? I slowly stood up and leaned closer. It didn’t see me, which was good because that meant it didn’t run away. But I also couldn’t see what it was properly either. The tree it was on was a good ten feet away; I couldn’t jump that far.
Or I couldn’t jump that far until a moment ago. Right? I glanced at my previously unused MP. I had enough to activate Feather Step then keep it for twenty additional minutes. I hoped that monster was a preta-squirrel; if I had to keep reactivating Feather Step, it was going to blow through my MP fast.
Here goes nothing. I took a deep breath and thought, Feather Step.
My body turned buoyant, as though gravity had no effect on me. I remained standing on the tree trunk, and the slight breeze in the air didn’t blow me over, but I finally knew what a balloon felt like. Focusing on the tree with the pale gray monster crawling around its base, I jumped.
I shot through the air, the strength behind my jump launching me like a rocket to the next tree. Halfway through my leap, I could see that my gamble paid off.
A preta-squirrel stopped midstep to look at me. Its mouth dropped open, and it gave a hair-raising shriek.
Oh no! I glanced down at the tree it was on, expecting to see an ugly treant face on the trunk. For once, luck was on my side; it was just a normal tree. At least, I was lucky until the little monster turned and jumped to the next one over.
I landed and leapt after it, my moves just as light and quick as the ghostly squirrel. On and on, we jumped from one tree to another, pushing over branches and sliding around trunks. At first, my movements were awkward, but the longer I used Feather Step and worked my way around bare, damp trees, the smoother my movements became. But no matter what, the squirrel stayed three feet ahead of me, screaming as I pursued it.
The tiny monster leapt through the air, missing the main branch that was its target and falling until it clung to the thick trunk. Now was my chance. I launched myself at the preta-squirrel, blade first. My weapon was just inches from the creature when I felt the mist move around me. Something was coming at me. Fast.
Looking up, I gasped as a treant’s limb aimed right for me. I twisted in the air and kicked off its side, vaulting myself out of harm’s way. I slammed against the ground, my lungs seizing as I lost my breath, but I continued to roll because the other limb was targeting me now. The tree monster’s branch crushed an indent into the earth just as I rolled to my feet. The preta-squirrel was already skittering up the treant’s face, up into the branches at its back.
Damn. My MP was already half empty at this point; I couldn’t keep Feather Step engaged for much longer. I still had to find another preta-squirrel after this one.
Speed was key now.
The treant retracted its limbs and shifted back into a neutral position. I scooped up some rocks then sprinted across the ground and leaped. I kicked off a half-raised branch and launched myself at the preta-squirrel.
It screamed, jumping away as I clambered over the treant and soared after it. The treant swung its limbs after me, smashing everything I stepped on just a half a second after my foot left that spot. I aimed a rock and threw it just in front of the squirrel. A second later, the treant aimed for that same location. The tiny monster skidded to a stop and scrambled in the other direction.
My kindjal appeared in my hand, and I swung it, aiming at the trapped monster. I stabbed the preta-squirrel at the same moment the treant’s limb came down and broke the branch clean off with its attack. I pinned the dead monster to the remaining half as I threw the rest of my rocks away, directing the treant away from me. It smashed at the ground for a minute before slowly settling back into a creepy tree.
I took a second to catch my breath. I might have been weightless for that chase, but I’d moved faster than I ever had in my life, and it was exhausting. After a moment, I collected the drop items, put them in my Items Bag, then destroyed the energy crystal. Just before closing my inventory, the Essence of Nothing disappeared. Again. Seriously, what was up with that? What did it mean?
I glanced back at the treant before slipping down to the ground. I didn’t relax until I was another ten feet away and I was sure the tree monster wasn’t going to move.
“Teresa? Is that you?”
I froze when I heard the hatefully familiar voice. I stepped back and pressed against a thick, damp tree, controlling my breathing to be as quiet as possible, then leaned around.
A second later, Leticia stepped out of the fog. Her damp hair was a mess, half flattened to her head and half scrunched in funny places with a leaf stuck in it. Her eyes were wide and a little manic as she turned this way and that, jumping at every little sound. Dirt smudged her clothes, and her left sleeve was torn. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one who’d had a tough time here.
She stopped and looked around. “Teresa? Judy?” she whispered.
She was so close; just five feet away.
My hands fisted so tight that my fingers hurt. This bitch had made my life hell for the last year. From the moment I stepped into the hostel, she never let up; she was even hunting me right now. Since she took it all the way into Gate Vale, it was obvious she wasn’t after a simple blanket anymore.
I didn’t remember pulling my kindjal out, but suddenly, I felt the cool, comfortable handle in my hand. Leticia didn’t know I was watching her; it would be so easy to get the sneak attack. Just one move, and I would be free of her endless torment. I could even push her another ten feet to the left and trigger a treant to react. It would have the same consequence.
She took another step closer. My muscles tightened, and I shifted my kindjal in my grip, getting ready.
A breeze kicked up and rustled the leaves overhead. Leticia jumped and looked up, exposing her throat.
I … froze.
Go, a devil whispered in my mind. Get rid of her, and you’ll be one step closer to a carefree life.
Just like I’d always wanted. God knew I’d been thrown to a group of red orcs for a lot less than what she’d done.
I wanted respite, wanted peace. Wanted it so badly I was willing to sell myself to a mysterious System which had taken over my life. But I didn’t want it enough to lose my humanity. There were a lot of Hunters who were no different from monsters. Anything that was weaker than them didn’t deserve to live, whether or not it was human.
I wouldn’t be like them. I would get stronger. I would be the strongest—but I wouldn’t do it soaked in the blood of another human being.
Leticia walked right by me, completely oblivious, and disappeared in the mist.
My hand tightened on the kindjal’s handle as I closed my eyes and pulled in a breath. I held it and counted. One. Two. Three. Slowly, I let it out, releasing all the tension in my body. The kindjal disappeared, and my hand slackened to my side. My eyes opened and I looked in the direction Leticia had gone.
Funny. I thought it would be harder to let go of the anger in my heart. I didn’t forgive her, but I also wouldn’t allow her to affect my emotions like this anymore. I didn’t know how freeing it would be, as if a weight I’d been carrying around for so long suddenly disappeared. Why had I spent so much time and effort lugging it around with me? What a waste of energy.
My lips curled in a mocking smile, and I walked in the opposite direction. It was time to find the last preta-squirrel.
A System window popped up. [Cultivate for fifteen minutes.]
I wasn’t going to turn that down. I still didn’t know why it wanted me to do all this cultivating, but the sensation was so cool that I couldn’t wait to do it again.
I picked a tree with a good sitting place and climbed up. When I was comfy, I got into position and began drawing the mist in. In no time at all, the System’s alarm chimed, and I opened my eyes. What would happen if I kept going even after the alarm went off?
I was tempted to continue cultivating when a notification popped up.
[Gained Ability: Mist.]
I threw my hands up in the air in victory but held in a yell. Then I paused. What was this Mist ability, anyway? I’d never heard of it. I could guess what it meant, but it wasn’t listed in the Hunter’s Guide.
Still, it was an ability I got from cultivating, just like Feather Step. Did that mean that every time I cultivated, I’d get a new ability? Should I do it some more?
Like always, the System seemed to know what I was thinking.
[At your current level, cultivating too much would be detrimental to—]
Suddenly, my vision was filled with a huge, red message overlapping the teal.
[GET OUT OF THE DIMENSION NOW!]
Before I could do more than gasp, the ground started quaking. I leaped from the tree and stumbled while I tried to steady myself. It wasn’t just a small rumble like when treants smashed the ground but a full, staggering ripple.
“What’s happening?” I yelled, but I couldn’t even hear my own voice.
A deafening roar rose into the air as if every single monster in Gate Vale was howling with all their might.
Freaked out to the extreme, I ran as fast as I could. The ground split and moved so much that I kept tripping with each new vibration. Trees tilted around me, slanting in my way or crashing right to the ground. Desperate, I activated Feather Step and put my all into sprinting through the chaos. I rushed over falling trees and touched off the top of the rolling ground. After what felt like forever and also no time at all, I broke out of the Fogmire trees as the mist faded away from me. Even though I was in the open and the Gate was in view, I still didn’t cancel Feather Step. Instead, I used it to speed through the Golden Meadows.
Another message appeared in my vision, and it took me aback for a second. I’d gotten so used to the teal System boxes I’d almost forgotten they used to be blue.
[Alert! The Gate has destabilized. All Hunters return to Eden immediately. Prepare for a Gate Surge.]
CHAPTER 22
Ididn’t have time to wonder why the message boxes were different colors because the ground started rumbling again, but for a whole new reason.
Looking up, thousands of Hunters came into view, a chaotic stampede to exit the Gate. But not only Hunters were present; monsters were mixed into the crowd, fleeing in the same direction. They didn’t even seem to care who they were running next to; they appeared just as driven to get through the Gate to Earth on the other side. Hunters swung their weapons as they ran, taking down monsters. Some were killed; others were simply wounded and left in the Hunter’s dust.
[HURRY!] Another teal message prompted me.
A crowd of monsters surged around the Gate, trying to exit the portal, but they couldn’t pass through the flat black surface. Hunters crashed into the mass, slicing, forcing paths through. There was no way I could fight my way across, so I jumped as high as I could, landing on a monster’s back, then leaped to the next monster’s head, skipping over every creature in my way with feather-light steps.
I neared the Gate threshold and launched off the last monster just as a pulse went through the air. It washed over me, sending all of my nerves stinging. What the hell was that? I twisted in the air and my eyes locked onto something impossible.
In the distance, one of the portals that ringed Gate Vale was swelling, growing bigger and bigger, like a black hole, disintegrating everything it touched. As I looked, it exploded in a flash then collapsed onto itself, leaving a huge hole where it had been. It wasn’t black on the other side like I thought it would be. It was a pale, topaz blue, shining like a star.
As monsters howled so loud that my ears rang, I soared through the Gate, gasping as familiar tingles spread over my body, like walking under a veil of cold air. I could no longer hear the howls but the wail of sirens and cries of people yelling.
I landed on the concrete and staggered to a stop, falling right at the feet of a Hunter. Stunned, I just stopped there, trying to catch my breath, before the presence of this unknown Hunter’s strength surrounded me. My eyes widened and I jerked up, staring right into the helm of the person towering over me in full steel armor.
It wasn’t just his presence that smothered a reaction from me but his intimidating stature, which exuded a colossal strength. His red-and-silver armor was so handsome, and it complimented his deep brown eyes. The pattern of a sword made out of red magic stones decorated the right side of his chest, the emblem so iconic I knew exactly who I was looking at.
He was, without a doubt, S-rank Blood Sword.
But the pressure I felt wasn’t just coming from Blood Sword’s strength alone; I could also feel the pressure mounting behind me. I looked around and was shocked to see that eleven other S-rank Hunters circled me—every single one who lived in Eden. I knew who they were based on their armor, even though I couldn’t name a single one of them because they only ever publicized their nicknames. Of course, none of them acknowledged me, focused on their conversation. It was like they couldn’t even tell that hundreds of Hunters like me were spilling frantically out of the Gate.
I blinked as I caught sight of Jonovan on the outside of the S-rank Hunters, talking with a woman dressed in a violet mage robe. From the symbol on her chest, she was probably the only S-ranked healer in America.
“Es are in the back.” Blood Sword drew my attention back to him. His tone was civil, neither condescending nor encouraging. His words cut through the blaring siren which rang in the air, announcing the threat. He jerked his head to the back of the crowd forming around the Gate. “We’ll take care of the big stuff. You’re responsible for catching the ones that slip through.”
As if the sirens weren’t enough, the Gate’s smooth surface suddenly rippled and pulsed. I’d never seen it do that before, but I knew from history books that it was a sign it was getting ready to let monsters out.
I snuck a glance at Blood Sword and jerked my head in a small nod before running as fast as I could, sliding between Hunters. I was starting to get stronger, but even I wasn’t stupid enough to think I belonged on the front line yet.
One of the first things every Hunter learned was how to handle a Gate Surge. The S ranks were responsible for the front line and taking out the biggest threats that came out. The next line of defense was the major guilds, followed by smaller guilds. The last line of defense was the unattached Hunters, like me, who would take out the little monsters that slipped through the cracks.
If any monster got through all of us, the only thing holding them back from the humans in Garden City was a flimsy red brick wall. In the last Gate Surge five years ago, a flock of rocs actually managed to get out of Eden. They decimated three Garden City blocks and killed nearly a hundred humans before they were finally brought down.
I didn’t stop running until I was in the very back of the crowd. Not too far from me stood a thin healer wearing a green cape. He cupped his hands and shouted over the noise of the crowd, “If you need healing, come to me!”
My HP wasn’t awful since I was resting as I cultivated, but it had been a long day, and I didn’t know what was going to come. I walked over to the healer and extended my hand as if for a handshake. “I can use some healing.”
He looked me up and down, obviously taking in my dirty clothes and lopsided ponytail. “Of course.” There wasn’t any doubt in his voice; he reached out and gripped my hand. His fingers started to glow gold—not as pure or clear as Jonovan’s, but that didn’t surprise me. Since this healer was in the back with me, it was a given he wasn’t strong, but I appreciated the seriousness in his face as he worked.
Snippets of conversation from the people next to me caught my attention over the siren, and I glanced over.
“Are you for real?” a woman gasped, staring at the man beside her in rapt attention.
The man nodded. “I heard it right from Blood Sword’s mouth when I walked by. An S went into a portal, wiped out every monster inside, and then the portal started to collapse!”
My eyes widened. Something like that could actually happen? A person could cause a portal to collapse? I didn’t even know a portal that wasn’t a Portal Burst could collapse at all.
But of course it could. I watched it collapse with my own eyes. Was that why the monsters were going crazy?
The healer next to me paused and glanced over, obviously just as shocked. I mean, the portals and the Gate were like the sun, an existence that would just always be.
The woman covered her mouth in shock. “Oh my god!” She went up on her tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd. “That’s just—wow.”
The man bobbed his head again. “I know. Only, right after it happened, the monsters went crazy. At least it’s the end of the day and not the beginning, so a lot of them have already been taken care of, but still …” He rolled his shoulders and shifted side to side, his features tight.
The healer released my hand. “There you go.” He gave me a soft smile.
I bobbed my head. “Thank you.” He didn’t heal me all the way—I was at 49/54 HP—but I was grateful, anyway. I turned and focused on the gossiping man a couple feet away. “Which S Hunter was it?” I asked.
The guy jolted and looked at me, surprised by my interruption. “I don’t know. It’s one who hasn’t published his information.”
I nodded. S Hunters were superstars. Most of them were millionaires, with adoring fans scrambling to snatch up every magazine and poster they graced. S Hunters were the faces of hope, the backbone which kept all the worst nightmares at bay. Even though they used nicknames, everyone knew who they were. But that didn’t mean that all twenty-four of the country’s S Hunters enjoyed the spotlight. A handful of them refused to join stardom, preferring to hide in plain sight.
